Fragile Balance
by Sonata of Hades
Summary: Waking up in a hospital with no memory of how you got there is cause for concern. Waking up to find out that you've been in a coma for the past 11 years is terrifying. The fact that you're still 15 years old is problematic. Finding out that your mother never died could be a dream come true. Ruby centric. AU.


**Fragile Balance**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own RWBY

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" _Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams?"_

 _-Alfred Lord Tennyson_

 **Chapter I**

 _Beep… Beep… Beep…_

The steady sound of the machine was what brought her out of sleep. It wasn't loud or irritating, merely there, a comforting presence. She had been in this position before, awaking to the sound of a heart monitor, though this time was different. She didn't know why she was hearing it.

 _Did I get hurt? Am I recovering from surgery? Are the others okay? Who would be hurt? Weiss? Blake? Why would they be hurt? Why would I need surgery? Where am I? Why can't I remember…?_

These questions and more plagued her. She tried to find some reason as to her situation but without any coherent memory, she was grasping at air.

The fact that she couldn't see or move or _feel_ was disconcerting. It didn't help that she didn't remember anything. The fact that she was in an unknown environment was only mildly stressful.

 _Come on Ruby, think! Try to remember what the last thing you did. I was sitting down. Okay, good! I was sitting down. Just sitting. Down. With Blake. Bake! That's right; Blake and I were watching something. A festival? Why would we watch a festival? I'm pretty sure I remember fireworks. No wait that was Yang. Yang was fighting someone and Weiss got hurt. Why would we watch them fight at a festival? I think they were in a tournament? The Vytal Festival! That's right; I was at the Vytal Festival with Blake. We were cheering Weiss and Yang during their match. They were struggling but I can't remember anything after._

Ruby's thoughts drifted as she tried to think more clearly. It was hard, she was numb to the world and so very tired and the noise from the heart monitor was only adding to her drowsiness.

Mentally shaking off sleep, she took stock of the facts. The last thing she remembered was watching the Vytal Festival Tournament. She woke up to a heart monitor and her entire body feels as though it was made of lead. And she felt drained.

That was odd. Why would she feel drained if she was in a medical facility? Shouldn't her Aura be fully charged? Even if it was doing its job and helping her to heal, she wouldn't feel any strain or burden on her body.

Well. That couldn't be good.

Mustering what strength she could, Ruby fought to open her eyes. It was more than unnerving the sheer struggle it took to open her eyes and once they were she felt more exhaustion than she thought imaginable.

Slowly, sluggishly, silver eyes wandered over the room. It was a basic room, stark white almost sterile. A modest window blinds open allowing light to bleed through the flimsy curtains. Cabinets took up the wall opposite the window. A table beside the bed, a vase sat atop it filled with lavender and roses. Heart monitor, IV drip, and other medical equipment crowded around a small hospital bed. The bed itself was plain, blue sheets covering a small figure. It took a more than a few moments for Ruby to realize that it was her legs underneath the sheets.

She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. It had taken a lot out of her to simply look around, but at least she knew she was in the hospital, specifically the Mantle Memorial Hospital in Vale. She had spent some time in the hospital growing up. Ruby had always enjoyed running and had ended up spraining an ankle a couple of times. She had flat out broken her legs when she first used her Semblance and had not been prepared for the increased speed.

All in all, the hospital was how she remembered it: sterile and bland. Now if only she could remember why she was here, hooked up to the machines. If she could only figure out why her Aura wasn't working and why she was so damned _exhausted!_

 _Maybe I should ask the nurse. Wait, what?_

Fighting through her lethargy, she once again looked at her surroundings. The light from the window had shifted, casting shadows across the dimly lit room. A nurse was busy cleaning the already sterilized room. The nurse herself was a kindly looking Faunus woman, if the antlers on her head were any indication. She didn't seem to be aware of the tired eyes watching her.

Startled to find that so much time had passed, Ruby merely watched her clean. It took longer than she cared to admit, but her exhausted mind didn't seem to be working as fast as she would have under normal circumstances. Mustering what strength she could, Ruby opened her mouth to grab the nurse's attention.

At least that was the plan. Her jaw opened slowly, her tongue was but lead, and her throat tightened and the air flowing through it was like sandpaper.

The noise, if it could truly be called that, was a quiet rasp, softer than a breeze.

The nurse didn't hear her.

Trying again, Ruby struggled to make a sound. The effort had exhausted her, taken whatever strength she had. But she had succeeded in making a sound.

In truth it was more of a rattle befitting of a dying animal, and it was barely louder than her previous attempt.

The strain from over exerting herself, and wasn't that a first, had taken its toll. Ruby's eyes closed. She could feel the numb embrace of oblivion calling. It hadn't been enough. She didn't get the nurse's attention or the answers she could give.

"Hello?" Came the soft velvet voice of another.

She did it! Ruby had succeeded. She could hear the nurse walking towards the door; presumably to see if anyone was outside.

Filled with renewed strength, she gave out another pitiful noise. She even managed to crack her eyes open, but she was so very tired. She couldn't stay like this, but she needed that nurse to know she was awake.

Startled, surprised, neither word truly captured the expression on the woman's face as she looked at the patient on the bed staring back at her.

Ruby merely smiled. She had done it. She watched as the nurse practically ran towards her, yelling for a doctor while asking Ruby questions about everything and nothing. The red head simply continued to make her noises, despite the pain it brought to her, until oblivion claimed her once again.

Tomorrow she will get her answers, Ruby just hoped that she wouldn't be so tired and that some memory would return.

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 **A/N:** Short I know, but I figure I might as well get this thing started. Just a plot bunny that hasn't managed to leave me alone, so I figured I would try and do something about it. This is the result. Obviously AU, just to warn you guys Ruby will be a little out of character for the next few chapters. Please review, knowing what you guys think really helps out. Stay classy.


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